The Tournament
by Dark Eagle91
Summary: Everyone wants to win the championship. But if you're lucky, you'll win something better. Rated M to be safe.
1. The Off-Season

**The Tournament**

**Chapter 1: The Off-Season**

**AN: I have never written anything before. I have always wanted to write a story, but didn't think I would be very good at it. I decided to just go for it and give it a shot. I'm sorry if it's terrible. I would greatly appreciate it if you could tell me what I did well and where I could improve. Thanks and enjoy! Also, I don't own any of the characters so please don't sue me!**

"HERE IS YOUR CHAMPION! SAMUS ARAN!"

Applause and cheers echoed throughout the stadium. Samus stood alone at the top of the mountain. She had just beaten Link to be the champ and Zelda was there to console her best friend.

"Sorry you didn't win." She said with sadness in her voice.

"It's alright." Link reassured her.

"You try your best. I gave my all and didn't win. I was unlucky this year, but next year is a chance to start fresh."

Zelda looked back up to the podium and saw Samus leaving the stage.

"Well, this means now you can train for next year." Zelda tried boosting Link's confidence.

"Don't _you_ want to win?" Link asked her. She looked away.

"Well….yes. But I can't beat you…or Samus…or anyone for that matter."

Zelda looked down. "It's the off-season. If you train hard and push yourself, I bet you could win. I'll even help train you." Link smiled.

After the tournament, there are a few months where the competitors have a bit of free time and space. They can either go home and relax, or train over the break, or even compete in friendly battles.

"Ok. We'll start training tomorrow. What are you planning to do for the rest of today though?" Link thought for a minute and smiled.

"I'm thinking about taking a nap. All that working out and training really made me tired." Zelda laughed lightly.

"Ok. You can sleep in one of the rooms back at Hyrule Castle. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Ok. See you tomorrow."

Link walked away as Zelda looked back at the stage.

'_I will win someday.'_

She thought to herself. As she was thinking, a blue fox walked up behind her.

"Are you going to stand there and daydream all day?"

Zelda turned around to see one of her good friends.

"Oh, hi Krystal. I didn't see you there." Krystal laughed.

"I'm very sneaky. I can get around very quietly. What are you planning on doing today?" Zelda crossed her arms and sighed.

"Well I was planning on getting training in tomorrow, but I am thinking about asking someone if they would be willing to train me." Krystal thought for a minute.

"Well, I could talk to Fox. Although he is a little upset that he lost to Luigi in the quarter finals. I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Zelda shook her head.

"I think Link is going to train me. I'm meeting him tomorrow. I hope I can train well enough to compete in the tournament." Krystal placed a hand on Zelda's shoulder.

"I'll go talk to him. You might want to go home and relax if you have the rest of today off. I don't think Link's training will be easy.

"You're right. I'll head home." Zelda agreed.

"See you around." Krystal waved goodbye. Zelda was excited for training tomorrow.

The following day Zelda woke up, put on a lace shirt, and walked down to the kitchen and noticed a note on the table. She walked over to it and read:

Zelda,

Sorry to break a promise but I was asked to join a friendly fight with Marth and Ike. I promise I'll train with you later.

-Link

She sighed in disappointment and decided that maybe she should work out by herself. She has trained by herself and she didn't want to bother Link. She ate breakfast and left for the main facility. Once she arrived, she walked straight to the workout room but when she got there she heard someone hitting the punching bag.

"Who could be in there this morning?" She asked herself as she continued down towards the door. Once she arrived she noticed who was in there so early in the morning…it was Samus.

"Oh….um." She quietly spoke while watching Samus hitting the punching bag.

'_She's really pretty.´_ Zelda thought to herself. She had fought Samus many times before but she had never really _seen_ her. She felt that she should say something, but for some reason, she couldn't speak. She looked so pretty and she couldn't speak to her. So, all she did was watch.

A few minutes past; Samus felt as if someone was watching her. She turned around and noticed Zelda looking at her.

"Yeah?" Samus wiped some sweat off her forehead as they made eye contact.

"Um….nothing. Zelda quickly looked away from her out of fear.

Samus shrugged, turned around d began punching the bag again. Zelda looked back at Samus.

'_She has a really pretty face.'_ Zelda thought to herself again.

Once again Samus stopped and turned around to see Zelda looking at her again.

"What?" She asked more sternly and began to walk towards Zelda.

"I…I…I…" Zelda stammered.

"I…I…I…" Samus mocked her. "What do you want?"

Zelda was frightened. She was being confronted by the champion and now she can't find her voice.

"Well?" Samus asked folding her arms and looking at her.

Zelda was now panicking. She was very nervous. She didn't know what to say.

'_Say something. ANYTHING!'_ Her mind was screaming.

Zelda closed her eyes tightly, her body tensed up, her fists clenched, and she asked the first thing that rand through her mind.

"Can you train me to be a better fighter?" Samus's eyes narrowed and she raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry?"

Realizing now that she couldn't go back on her statement, she kept her eyes closed and asked again.

"can you train me to be a better fighter?"

Samus shook her head.

"Fuck you. I have other things to worry about."

Zelda was taken aback by her response. She had never been talked to that way before. She had been denied certain requests, but to be cursed at? This was very new to her.

"Oh…I see." She opened her eyes but turned away from Samus. "I…should get going. She turned around and walked away.

As Zelda was walking away, Samus rolled her eyes; realizing that she was too harsh on her. Besides, helping her a little wouldn't kill her.

"Wait." She called to the princess. Zelda turned around. "I'll help you."

Zelda was surprised that Samus took her up on her offer. She took a deep breath and calmly responded.

"Actually…Link said he wou-" Samus quickly cut her off.

"Look do you want my help or not?" Samus asked.

Zelda was still nervous. Samus was the reigning champ. Zelda closed her eyes as a million questions ran through her mind.

'_She's the champion. Why would she want to train me? But what if she's serious? Would Link be upset? I really want to win…"_

"Well?" Samus asked again. "Do you want my help or not?"

Zelda opened her eyes. Still not able to look at Samus directly in hers she gulped hard.

"Y-yes. I…I will accept your help."

Samus cracked her knuckles.

"Ok let's get started. First I want you to punch that bag as hard as you can."

Zelda walked towards the bag and was psyching herself up."

'_Ok. Breathe in. And out. Show her your inner strength. Be strong. Hit it with all you've got!"_

Her fist clenched and she punched the bag as hard as she could.

"Fuck…this is going to be a lot of work…" Samus mumbled. "Ok hit it again harder."

Zelda complied and again, it barely moved.

"Harder." Samus demanded.

Zelda hit it again.

"Harder."

She hit it again.

"Harder."

And again.

"Harder."

And again.

Samus could see Zelda's frustration building and it gave her an idea.

"You're so weak. It's not worth it to train you." Samus sneered.

Zelda was trying to ignore her but it was obvious that her words were sticking to her.

"I mean you are SO pathetic and weak." Samus sarcastically said. Watching to see what Zelda's reaction would be.

Zelda was hitting the punching bag much harder. Her punches were pretty good but Samus felt she had more in her.

"Why bother coming to fight? You're just a weak little princess."

That did it. Zelda's blood was boiling, her adrenaline was rushing. She clenched her teeth, shut her eyes, and screamed. As she did she punched the bag with all of her might and the result was astounding. Samus couldn't believe the force in which Zelda hit the punching bag.

'_Wow."_ Samus thought to herself.

Zelda then turned around. Breathing hard and giving Samus an icy stare.

"Ok." Samus began. "Keep that energy and you'll be fine."

"I am NOT weak!" Zelda stated sternly.

"No, I was just trying to see what you have. I didn't think you had that kind of power." Samus explained. You've got a lot of potential."

Zelda blushed a little and smiled. She didn't think she was that good of a fighter and for someone like Samus to say she had potential was a very big compliment.

"Th-Thank you." Zelda nervously responded.

"Would you stop being so fucking nervous?" Samus asked Zelda. Who immediately turned away.

"Oh. I'm sorry." Zelda responded as if she had done something wrong. Making Samus feel bad about herself.

"No it's not you. I…I don't hang out with people often. As a mercenary, I'm usually traveling around. When I get here, I tend to space myself from everyone else so it's not your fault, it's mine. Sorry." Samus folded her arms and reassured Zelda. "Why don't we keep working?"

Zelda nodded in agreement. "Ok."

Samus and Zelda kept working all day. Zelda was exhausted and wanted to quit but she didn't want to upset Samus so she kept going. They took breaks throughout the day and finally finished training at around 10pm.

"Ok that's enough for today. Shower up and change clothes. Then we'll go home and train more tomorrow. You were really impressive today." Samus smiled at Zelda.

Zelda was breathing hard. She was completely exhausted and so very tired but having Samus smile at her was worth it. "Ok. I may get…a room here…I'm too tired…to go back home." Zelda breathed between every few words. Samus nodded.

"I'll get us a room. Go shower up." Samus left to go get some keycards for a room. Zelda smiled.

'_I wonder if she likes me.'_ Zelda wondered to herself as she walked into the women's locker room. She showered off and grabbed her change of clothes. They were white gym shorts and a white t-shirt with the triforce on it. It wasn't anything special but it was just regular gym clothes. She left the locker room, her eyes were shutting and opening much more frequently.

'_I…need to sleep.'_ Her body felt like it was going to shut down any minute. The workout took a lot out of her and she was very down.

"You ok? You don't look so good." Samus said with deep concern in her tone. "Should I cancel tomorrow's training?" Zelda shook her head.

"No. I'm just…very tired. Do you have the room?" Zelda weakly asked. Samus nodded and held up two card keys.

"Yeah. We're in room 248". Samus replied. "Do you have some extra clothes?"

"No. But I can just go home tomorrow and grab some. Besides, I feel like I am going to pass out." Samus smirked.

"We worked out a lot. And if we're going to work out tomorrow, we should get a good nights' sleep."

The two girls left the gym and went towards the competitors' rooms. They checked into their rooms. It was set up like a hotel suite. Two king beds, an extremely large television, complete with all accommodations for all competitors and it's all free. Zelda and Samus walked in and went toward the beds.

"So, which one do you…" Samus looked over at Zelda, who collapsed on one of the beds. Her performance earlier took a lot of energy and her body had now given up on her and she was out. Samus chuckled at this.

'_She's tired herself out. She deserves a good night's sleep.'_ Samus thought as she began tucking Zelda in. As she did so, she noticed certain features about her. Her pointed ears, her soft skin, her beautiful hair.

'_She's really cute.'_ Samus thought. _'But she wouldn't like me. She couldn't be with me.'_ Samus frowned. She thought Zelda was cute but she wasn't going to lie that she knew how it worked. A princess was to marry a prince. That's how things were. Samus changed into her bed attire and went to the other bed and got in.

'_She can't be with me. She wouldn't __want__ to be with me.'_ She told herself before closing her eyes and going to sleep.


	2. Just Friends

**Chapter 2: Just Friends**

**AN: Ok so here's chapter two. I hope it's as good as the first. I'm still looking for areas where my writing is good and where I struggle. I am still very new at this and I hope people like my story. I can't promise all chapters will be uploaded this fast since I'm a college kid and school comes first. Still I do hope you enjoy this chapter.**

*****Disclaimer*****

**I don't own any of the characters in the following story so please don't sue me.**

Zelda woke up, began to stretch, and yawned.

'_Where am I?'_ She asked herself as she turned her head and noticed Samus sprawled out over her bed, still asleep.

'_Oh right. I was training with Samus.'_ She smiled and then decided to go take a shower and freshen up before waking up Samus. She walked into the bathroom, stripped off her clothing, turned on the water, and entered. She washed her entire body and finished her shower. Once she was done, she dried herself off and wrapped a towel around herself and stepped out. Samus was still asleep, so Zelda decided to quickly change before she woke up. She removed the towel from herself and bent over to grab a matching bra and panties. While Zelda was searching for her clothes, Samus turned to the other side of the bed and began waking up. Her eyes slowly opened and the first thing she saw was Zelda's bottom.

Samus gasped; her face turning red. She then noticed that Zelda quickly stood up straight. Samus closed her eyes in an attempt to convince Zelda that she was asleep. Zelda covered her body and quickly turned around to see Samus had changed positions.

'_Was she…staring at me?'_ Zelda thought to herself.

She quickly put on a pair of panties and a matching bra, and then placed one hand on Samus's shoulder.

"Samus? Samus wake up." Zelda gently shook Samus.

Samus sat up interlocked her fingers and cracked them. She yawned and yawned before turning to Zelda.

"Hey. How'd you sleep?" Zelda wasn't looking at Samus.

"Um…were…were you…" Zelda stammered. She wasn't sure how to ask Samus if she was looking at her body.

'_Maybe I just __thought__ I heard something.'_ Her mind reassured her.

"Did I what?" Samus tilted her head in confusion. Zelda looked up to Samus.

"Oh. Um…just wondering what we're going to do today?" She nervously laughed. "Training is very important, right?" Zelda responded as she quickly began getting dressed. Samus just smirked.

"Yeah, it's important, but I have a question to ask." Zelda looked frightened. As if she was too scared to respond.

"Um…yes?" Zelda was extremely nervous. She was afraid of Samus and even though Samus told her not to be nervous, she couldn't help it.

"How would you feel against fighting?" Samus asked sitting on the edge of her bed looking up at Zelda.

Zelda's eyes grew wide. "Fighting against _you_? Oh no, I wouldn't do very well. I doubt I would be-" Samus quickly cut her off.

"No no no. Not against me. With me. It would be a team battle. You and me versus two other people. People who we could trust like maybe…" Samus thought for a few moments. "…Fox and Link? Just to see how well you do in actual combat."

'_That would be a great idea.'_ Zelda thought. "Ok. I would like to join you in a team battle." Samus smiled.

"Ok. I'm going to shower then we'll see if we can find Link and Fox to fight them." Zelda nodded in agreement.

As soon as Samus went into the bathroom, Zelda began to grin. She wasn't particularly known for her physical attacks but her magic was well honed. She was much better at using magic than her fists.

'_Now I can __really__ prove what I am capable of.'_ Zelda thought. Barely able to control her excitement.

Inside the bathroom, Samus stripped her clothes, and walked into the shower. She began washing her body. As she did, impure thoughts began filling her head. Thoughts of Zelda. Wanting to hold her, to touch her. To kiss her. Samus shook her head, grabbed the soap, and began to scrub her face as if she were scrubbing the thoughts from her mind. As the water rinsed off her face those thoughts were coming back. Samus once again shook her head.

'_No no no! Stop thinking like that. She is a princess. I am a bounty hunter. It could never work'_ Samus hung her head. _'Even if you really want it to.'_ Samus breathed in deeply and sighed. She closed her eyes and allowed her thoughts to take her away. However, before her mind could drift, there was a knock on the door.

"Um…Samus? Are you almost finished?"

Samus looked towards the door and sighed. She figured she just had bad luck.

"Yeah…I'm almost finished." She closed her eyes, and let the water run on her face for a few more seconds before shutting off the water. She grabbed her towel, dried herself off, and wrapped the towel around her. She walked out, and grabbed her clothes, then walked back into the bathroom and changed. Once she was done, she noticed Zelda smiling and staring in her own world.

'_I wonder what she's thinking about.'_ Samus thought to herself as she walked over to her and snapped her fingers next to Zelda's ear.

Zelda quickly snapped out of trance. "Oh. Um…yes?" Her face began blushing.

"Let's go." Samus motioned towards the door. The two girls left and walked to the main area.

"You wait here and I'll find Link. I bet he can find Fox faster than I can since the two of them are friends." Samus instructed Zelda who nodded to signal she understood what Samus said. Samus then left to go find Link. Zelda sat down in a chair waiting for Samus to return. A few minutes passed which allowed her to think about the event that happened earlier this morning.

'_Did she see me? I mean was she looking? What if she liked it? Should I ask her out? But what if she doesn't like me like that? What if she has someone else?'_ Zelda covered her face with her hands and groaned in frustration. "Why can't I just be honest about my feelings?" She muttered to herself. It was at that moment that she heard another voice.

"Well hello…" Followed by a wolf whistle.

Zelda looked up to see Wario standing in front of her.

"Oh….um…h-hello." Zelda nervously responded. She didn't feel comfortable around Wario. He was very rude and disgusting.

"I have been working out. What do you think?" He flexed his muscles but his belly was hanging out. Zelda looked away in disgust.

"Um…th-that's nice." She responded wishing that he would just leave. She would do _anything_ to make him leave.

"You want my body don't you?" He sneered. Zelda closed her eyes and placed a few fingers on her lips as she lightly gagged on the idea of Wario and herself together. She collected herself, breathed in, still not looking at Wario.

"I…I…do not…w-wish to engage i-in that k-kind of…a-activity…" Wario cut her off.

"Your words say no, but your eyes say yes." Zelda closed her eyes.

'_Please someone save me. Anyone please!'_ Her mind screamed.

"You want my body. You wan…ACK!" His voice was quickly cut off. Zelda turned her head to see Samus grabbing Wario's Throat.

"Listen to me you fat fuck. If you ever speak to Zelda like that again, I will snap your fucking neck and feed your body to some hungry wolves. Do I make myself clear?" Her grip tightened around his neck you managed to utter a quiet yes. She pushed him away. Leaving him coughing and gasping for air. Once he was able to breathe normally he glanced over at Samus's icy cold stare. Her intimidation worked as he turned around and scratched his ass as he left. Samus turned to Zelda.

"You ok? He didn't hurt you did he" She asked making sure Zelda was fine. Zelda nodded.

"Yes. I-I am fine." She smiled weakly. "Th-Thank you for saving me."

Samus smiled. "No problem. Link said that Fox was with Krystal and that they could meet up with us at 2. So why don't we get some brunch while we wait?" Zelda's smile grew wider as she nodded in agreement.

The two of them walked over to the lunch buffet, grabbed some lunch and sat at a booth. Zelda had a Cesar Salad and Samus had a cheeseburger. The two of them sat quietly and ate for a few minutes before Samus broke the silence.

"So, this might sound stupid but why didn't you snap at Wario?" Zelda looked away in embarrassment.

"I…I am not very aggressive. I was taught be strong as a ruler, not as a fighter. The guards at Hyrule were against me joining this tournament but I insisted. They can't deny me anything I desire." Samus rolled her eyes.

"So let me guess, you're one of those girls who don't cuss, right?" Zelda looked away from Samus and nodded her head.

"I have always been taught that swearing is not formal. It is bad to swear." Zelda began rubbing the back of her neck.

"It's just a word. Sure, it _means_ something bad but it's just a word. Like sun, or moon, or sky." Samus responded. "It means something bad but it's just a word. Tell you what, I'll teach you to say fuck." Zelda's eyes grew wide.

"Oh no. I couldn't. It would be very bad of me." Samus held up one finger.

"It's just you and me. You can say it to me. Sound it out. F-uh-k." Samus demonstrated.

Zelda hesitantly sound out the words. "Fff….uh….k…" Samus smiled and nodded her head.

"Ok now put it together faster." Zelda was determined to put the words together faster.

"Fffuuuh….k." Samus motioned her to speed up. Zelda closed her eyes, took a deep breath and…

"Hey Zelda." A voice behind her spoke up.

"FUCK!" She yelled then giggled. "I said fuck." She whispered to Samus.

"Did you say fuck?" The voice spoke up. Zelda quickly turned her head and her smile quickly disappeared as she saw who it was.

"Oh um…Link. I…uhm…I…I…Please don't tell anyone." She pleaded with her friend. Link smiled.

"I promise not to tell anyone but did you say fuck?" He asked the princess who nodded her head rapidly.

"Yes. Samus helped me." She gestured towards Samus who was sitting across from her, arms folded.

"Samus taught you how to swear?" Link asked not sure about how to feel about the situation. Samus stood up.

"Is that a problem?" She asked. Her tone being a little more aggressive but Link shook his head.

"No. I just never thought I'd hear Zelda curse. It's…kind of weird." He looked away rubbing the back of his neck. Zelda was now concerned for her best friend.

"Did I make you feel uncomfortable? I'm so sorry if I did." She looked down ashamed of what her actions did. Link smiled and lightly tapped Zelda's shoulder.

"No you didn't Zelda. What makes you happy makes me happy. And if swearing makes you happy, I say go for it." Zelda smiled as Link turned to face Samus. "Fox was on a walk with Krystal in the garden. They just got back and Fox said he'll meet us there. You ready?" Samus looked at Zelda who looked back at her. Samus smiled at her and nodded her head. Zelda inhaled deeply and exhaled sharply before nodding her head.

"Yeah, we're ready. " Samus stated. The two girls got up and walked with Link to the stage arena. It was a long hallway with a bunch of rooms to the left and right. Fighters would pick a room, and choose the stage in which they would fight in. The three of them waited inside of the first room on the left.

Inside the waiting room there were two large benches and four circled platforms. The platforms are where the contenders go to access the stage. They can prepare however they like but they must wait in this room. Once the stage is ready, the platforms glow white which signals the competetors.

"You sure you want to do this? I'd hate to beat your sorry ass." Link teased Zelda as Zelda looked at him in surprise.

"I didn't know that you swore." She couldn't believe that her best friend just swore to her. She always believed that Link was someone who followed the rules.

"Well…I've been around this place from the beginning. So I try not to allow my language affect me in Hyrule." Link sheepishly smiled. Zelda laughed.

"Oh no. _We_ will beat you. Samus and I will kick your…ass." Zelda giggled again. She felt like such a rule breaker by cursing and that she was a bad girl. Still, her main objective today was to impress Samus with her magic skills. That was the whole point to this match; she didn't want to disappoint and today was the day that she would shine. Fox finally showed up.

"Hey. Sorry I'm late. So it's Link and I versus you two? Maybe we should take it easy on them." He teased as he looked at Link and laughed. Samus closed her eyes and smirked.

"I wouldn't be so cocky. Zelda's been training with me and she's much stronger than she was before." Zelda lightly blushed and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. She had only been training one day and Samus was talking about her like she was this great fighter.

"So let's say we each get one life and the stage…" Samus thought for a minute…will be at Delfino Plaza." Link and Fox nodded in agreement. Zelda's nerves began to settle in.

'_What if I blow this chance? What if I screw up? Oh…I'm scared…'_ Zelda thought as she heard someone snap their fingers right in front of her. She snapped out of her gaze.

"Huh? What?" She exclaimed and looked up to see Samus standing in front of her.

"Look, I can tell you're nervous." Samus spoke quietly to her as Zelda tried to play it off.

"M-Me? Nervous? No. I-I'm not nervous at all. What makes you think I'm n-nervous?" She wasn't looking at Samus and her hands were rubbing against each other.

"Well if you're not nervous, then look me in the eyes and tell me you're not." Samus tilted Zelda's head upwards causing Zelda to look at her. "Say it." Samus repeated.

"I-I'm n-not…" She became teary eyes and looked away. "Ok. I'm nervous. I'm sorry but I can't help it. I want to prove that I'm not a weak fighter but I'll never be as strong as you. You're amazing and I'm…not." She looked down and closed her eyes. She looked so disappointed in herself. Samus was discouraged that Zelda had almost no faith in herself. She knelt down to her and tilted her head up again.

"Remember that we're a team. You and I are fighting together. You'll do just fine. Believe in your abilities and remember that we're fighting together." Samus smiled and that seemed to boost her confidence again. Zelda wiped away her tears.

"Ok. I'll fight for you." Zelda stood up; more determined in herself than before. The platforms turned white and the competitors stepped on their places. As they stepped on their platforms Zelda noticed Samus wasn't wearing her armor; she was wearing, what looked like, a blue jumpsuit. "Where's your armor?" She asked Samus who slightly turned her head towards her.

"Don't need it." She smiled as they were all transported to the stage.

Each competitor took their spot. Zelda enjoyed how beautiful the beach looked but she remembered that she was here to fight, not for sightseeing.

"READY? GO!" A voice announced. And the fight was on. Link quickly charged Samus and she blocked his attack, and then kicked him back. Fox then tried a roundhouse on her, but she jumped before it landed and shot her gun at him. He couldn't move for a minute until she punched him and knocked him back a bit. She turned to Zelda who was just standing there…watching.

"What the hell are you doing?" She yelled as she was knocked back a few feet from Link's sword. Zelda took a few baby steps back.

"I-I'm scared." She admitted. "I'm sorry to have wasted your time and effort. You're an amazing teacher but…I'm just-"

"Don't say you're weak! You're not! You need to push yourself this isn't training, its real combat! You can do it! You are strong!" Samus groaned in pain as Link hit her in the back. Knocking her a few more feet away. Zelda stood there, frozen. Samus looked up at her, realizing she wasn't going to move.

'_Well I guess I'll have to try something else.'_ Samus thought to herself. She grabbed her leg. "Fuck! My ankle. I can't move." She groaned in pain. Zelda was now frightened.

"W-What?! We must end this match now! W-We Can't…" Samus looked to her.

"No! You can do it. It's all on you. You need to fight. Believe in yourself and you can win. I'll be fine just get out there and win for us." She pointed to Link and Fox; who were now just standing there.

"Do you want to stop?" Link called out to Zelda; it was obvious he was more concerned about the well being of Samus than the match. Zelda looked down at Samus who smiled.

"Kick their ass. Show them what you've got." Zelda nodded in acknowledgement. She looked back at Link.

"No. We shall continue fighting." Zelda held her head up high; as if she was looking down on Fox and Link. The two looked at each other and shrugged. Link started out charging at Zelda. He swung his sword and she sidestepped, then waved her hand and knocked him back a bit. Fox then tried dashing by her but; again, she sidestepped and swung her leg around. She kicked Fox and turned her attention back to Link. Unbeknownst by all of them, Samus watched on in awe and disbelief.

'_Why doesn't she do that __all__ the time?'_ Samus couldn't believe the type of ability Zelda had. The fact that she is able to hold her own against two great brawlers is incredible. What drew her eyes wasn't her attacks, but her body. Her beautiful, body. Samus lightly bit her bottom lip as she was paying attention to how gorgeous she looked. Samus once again shook her head. _'Stop thinking like that. Quit lying to yourself. It's not going to happen.'_ Her mind reminded her. Samus closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and stood up.

Zelda was now breathing heavily. She was been hit a few times but she felt that it was time for her to end this. Fox jumped and tried kicking her but she dodged, grabbed a bomb and threw it at Fox. With no time to react, the bomb hit him and he was knocked off.

'_One down and one to go. Where is Li-'_ She yelled as Link's sword hit her back. She turned around and saw Link.

"Just because you're the princess, doesn't mean I'm taking it easy on you." Link smirked.

"Just because you're the hero, doesn't mean I need to let you win." Zelda remarked. It was at that time that she saw the brawl button floating behind Link. She knew that she had to get that if she was going to beat Link but she had to be careful to not let him know what's right behind him.

"Why don't you show me what makes you so great?" She held up her hand and motioned with her fingers in an attempt to try and provoke him; it worked. Link yelled and charged at her with his sword. As he swung his sword, she dodged and pushed him to the ground and rand as fast as she could towards the button. She smashed it and felt a rush of energy throughout her whole body. She closed her eyes as a bow began to appear in her left hand, she pulled an arrow from the thin air, lines it up and left go. It stuck Link in the shoulder, knocking him off.

"GAME!" The voice announced. Zelda then looked at Samus in total surprise that she was standing up.

The two girls were taken back to the waiting room that they were in previously.

"I…I thought you had hurt your ankle? She asked Samus. Who chuckled softly.

"Well, after the match all injuries are healed so I would be fine anyways. But if you're referring to the match, yes I faked an injury." Zelda was hurt to hear this.

"Why? I was really scared. I-I was so worried about you. I-" Zelda began looking scared. But Samus held up one finger.

"If I didn't do something, you would've been too concerned with me and not focused on the match. You're lucky it was just me. If you went up against Bowser, Donkey Kong, Gannondorf, they would've knocked you unconscious." Samus explained. "But let me ask you something. Would you be against fighting me tomorrow?" Zelda's eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped.

"F-Fighting you? Oh no…I-I'm nowhere near as talented as you. I-I mean y-you are so much b-better than men. I-I couldn't c-compete with you." Zelda stammered and was acting like a nervous wreck. Samus placed one hand on her shoulder.

"It'll be good for you. I haven't had very much of a workout so I think it would be nice for me to flex my muscles and for you to train a little harder. Bring that same energy and we'll do it tomorrow at…3pm? That work for you?" She asked Zelda who was still extremely nervous.

"T-Three pm? I-I am free b-but…"

"You'll do fine. Just do your best. It's just two people training. You and me fighting against each other. That's what the off-season is for. I'll see you tomorrow at three. I'll be in the gym working out. See you tomorrow." She waved at Zelda who smiled weakly and waved back.

"You and me…" She said to herself as she walked back to her room. _'I should get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a big day.'_ She thought to herself as she walked in her room and shut the door.


	3. Lessons

**Chapter 3: Lessons**

**AN: Here's chapter three. It's a little long but I've made a promise to myself that all my chapters will be at least seven pages long. So I apologize that this took a long time. I've got a lot of studying and other things going on at the moment but I will not quit writing this story. I want to finish at least one before starting another. Once again, I hope you enjoy the chapter and hope it's good.**

*****Disclaimer*****

**I don't own anything in this story so please don't sue me.**

This was it. The most important match of her life. Zelda was a little scared of what the match was going to bring. Samus was her trainer, her friend, and now her opponent. Zelda was in the shower letting the water run down her hair and face; frightened of what the upcoming match will bring.

'_What will happen? Will I get hurt badly? I know I'll be healed after the match, but will she be gentle?_' She thought to herself.

After washing up and thinking about the match, she finally turned the water off, grabbed a towel and dried herself off. She grabbed two towels; one to wrap around her body and the other would was around her hair. She left the room, got dressed and looked in the mirror.

'_Perfect. I look amazing.'_ She thought to herself as she smiled before she left to meet Samus for their match.

Samus was in the training facility preparing herself for this upcoming match. To Samus, it was just another match; not really important, but it was a match she wasn't going to take lightly. She had seen Zelda's power in the previous match against Fox and Link; she wasn't going to take Zelda lightly. As she was hitting the punching bag, Zelda came up and was watching her.

'_She's still so pretty.'_ She sighed contently. Then quickly shook her head. _'I shouldn't be thinking like that. She probably wouldn't like someone who's as fragile as me.'_ She looked down in disappointment. Samus turned around, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and walked over to her.

"Hey. You ready? I know I've been working out but I feel like I can still take you." She smiled as the young princess looked up and gave her a weak smile back.

"Oh…y-yes. I a-am ready." She nervously responded. Zelda wanted to hold her ground but she wasn't going to lie to herself. Samus was the champion; strong, fierce, powerful and she…was weak, fragile, and delicate. Samus noticed how insecure Zelda looked and reassured her.

"We're not fighting for bragging rights or anything like that. We're just fighting to see how strong we are. Don't think of me as the champion. We've fought against each other many times. Just see me as an opponent." Samus smiled. Hoping to have motivated her to bring her A game. Zelda didn't say a word; just nodded.

The two girls walked along to the hallway and walked into a room. Zelda sat down and Samus was setting the rules.

"Ok. One life, regular battle, and we'll fight…." She thought for a minute then turned to see Zelda looking down; her hands rubbing against each other, her eyes closed.

'_What must I do to make her relax?'_ She thought to herself and then she had an idea.

"…Hyrule Castle." Zelda sat up in surprise.

"B-But that's…" Samus cut her off.

"If you're going to continue being nervous then maybe we need to fight in your stomping grounds. Maybe you'll be more at ease if you're fighting at home." Samus smirked as Zelda gulped hard.

"I…I will try. I don't want to disappoint you. I will do my best at beating your…ass." Zelda smiled. She was still not fully accustomed to swearing and still thought it's what rule breakers do. Samus entered the program and was waiting for the stage to load.

"You scared?" Samus asked Zelda, who was nodding quickly.

"Yes. I don't do well under pressure." She watched as Samus rolled her eyes which made her think that she said something that upset her.

"There's no pressure. Just two people fighting. Give me everything you have. I want to see how strong you really are. Yesterday, you beat Link and Fox like it was no big deal. I want you to come at me with that kind of aggression. Please?" Samus asked. Zelda wasn't sure how to take this.

'_She thinks __I'm__ aggressive? It must have been a mistake.'_ She thought as the stage finally loaded. The two competitors stepped onto the platforms and were taken to the stage.

"THREE….TWO….ONE….GO!" The voice yelled out. Samus and Zelda were just standing there staring at each other.

"Ok. Show me what you've got." Samus took a defensive position. Zelda's eyes narrowed as if she were hunting prey. She rushed to Samus and started casting as many magic spells as she could. Once she stopped, to her surprise, Samus either blocked every single one of them, or dodged every single one of them. Zelda was getting frustrated. She started casting more spells and once again she dodged them but then…

SMACK!

While Zelda was casting spells, one hand continued moving and she slapped Samus's cheek. She had one hand on her cheek as she was in disbelief. Zelda was horrified to what she had done as she quickly rushed to Samus.

"I'm soooo sorry. Are you ok?" Her tone was soft and filled with worry. It was at that moment that she felt Samus grab her hair and lean in.

"Lesson one: Never let your guard down." She slammed her leg into Zelda's stomach and tossed her behind her. "Get up. We're not done yet." Samus instructed. Zelda staggered to her feet with one hand on her stomach.

'_She's so strong.'_ She winced as she thought about the pain. Zelda shook off the pain and rushed Samus again.

"Lesson two: A good defense is a better offence." Samus informed as she, once again blocked every single attack from Zelda then presented a counterattack and knocked her down again.

"Get up. You're not giving up are you?" Samus started teasing Zelda which was getting under her skin. Frustration began building up inside her as she sat up.

"Are we going to fight? Or are you going to lecture me?" Zelda asked with a more aggressive tone as she finally stood up.

"You asked me to help you. Bitching about my teaching methods won't make you a better fighter. If you want to stop, we can. But don't bitch about what I teach." Samus boldly responded. Zelda's aggression was toned back a little. She was still upset and she didn't want to anger Samus, but she didn't want to be lectured anymore.

"Now…" Samus began again. "Lesson three: Use what is around you. Items, food, even the smash button. Use what you can around you. Know what is around and find the perfect moment to use it." Zelda looked around and found a beam sword. Zelda smirked.

'_This may be easier than I thought.'_ Zelda grabbed the sword and charged at Samus who sidestepped Zelda and continued dodging Zelda's attack. She couldn't believe how Samus was doing this. Zelda was giving her everything she had and still she couldn't land a shot. Samus eventually, swung her arm at Zelda causing her to drop the sword and fall down.

"Get up! You're not done yet!" Samus yelled at Zelda. Part of her wanted to console her and not be as tough on her as she was. But another part of her knew that she couldn't. She was her teacher and if she was going to make Zelda strong, she can't baby her. She needs to be tough. Zelda again staggered to her feet. Looking very exhausted, Samus closed her eyes and sighed.

"Lesson four: Don't let your emotions get the best of you. Learn to fight with skill, not emotions." Zelda wasn't listening. Her anger was building and all she wanted was to knock Samus off her feet. She stood up and charged again but she found that she couldn't hit Samus at all. She was moving too fast; Zelda was now breathing hard. She was getting tired but she refused to quit. Not until she landed another strong shot against her.

Zelda bent over and placed her hands on her knees. _'Maybe…I can't do it. Maybe I'm just wasting my time.'_ She looked away, still breathing hard. Samus noticed this and thought of encouraging her.

"Final lesson: Believe in yourself. Never doubt yourself in a fight. Once you do, the match is over." Zelda looked up at Samus who was glaring at her. Zelda stood upright and took a few deep breaths. She had more determination in her eyes and was ready to strike. She moved in and attacked once again. Samus was moving again and still, she couldn't land a hit. Samus grabbed Zelda and tossed her in the opposite direction. Zelda was getting discouraged again, she was in so much pain but she refused to give up. She got up and charged with what little energy she had left and tried hitting Samus with all her might. Samus countered with a flurry of fists to her stomach and a roundhouse to the side of her head; knocking Zelda back. Samus wasn't convinced that Zelda gave her everything she had.

"Get up Zelda." She demanded. She watched Zelda's chest move up and down. Other than that, Zelda did not move. Samus's serious tone quickly changed to concern. "Zelda? Are you ok?" Her expression changed from concern to fear. Did she push her too far? Samus walked over to Zelda and gently moved her shoulder. "Zelda! Answer me. Are you ok?" Zelda did not respond. Samus was now worried for Zelda's safety and well-being. The stage reset itself back to the waiting room. Samus placed Zelda onto her shoulders and ran as fast as she could to the medical wing.

'_Please be ok. I promise I won't push you this hard again Zelda. Please.'_ She thought as she was running. She could feel tears running down her face. On the way to the medical wing, she passed by Link, Fox, and Krystal.

"Hey Sa-" Link began then he noticed Zelda on her back and his expression turned from happy to fear. "W-What happened?" Samus was already a few feet ahead of him. He quickly ran after Samus to find out what happened to his friend. Fox and Krystal looked at each other and without saying a word, agreed to find out what happened. There were two parts to the medical wing. One part was for the general public which was like a typical hospital and the other was for those who were fighting. There were no waiting lines for competitors and they could be seen immediately. A few people were in there waiting for friends or loved ones. Samus ran through the door and all eyes turned to her.

"Please help Zelda! She passed out and isn't responding." Nurses quickly moved and grabbed the passed out princess and gently placed her on a gurney. They moved her to the back and escorted her to the back. Samus was walking with her, holding her hand and looking at her with a scared look on her face. Zelda's eyes were still closed, her chest still moving up and down. Samus was trying to hold back tears to put on a brave face, but the tears were rolling down her face. As Zelda was about to go through the doors, a nurse who was a little shorter than Samus stopped her.

"Ma'am I'm going to need you to stay in the waiting room." Samus tried reasoning with the nurse.

"You don't understand. She's my friend, and I-" Samus pleaded but the nurse wasn't listening and looked up at her.

"Ma'am, we'll do everything we can to help her, but in the meantime, you need to wait in the waiting room." She pointed behind Samus. Samus turned her head and sighed. She wasn't going to argue as she wiped away the tears. She walked back and took a seat in the waiting room. She sat down as the tears were still streaming down her face.

'_Oh Zelda, I'm so sorry. Please be alright.'_ Samus thought to herself as she covered her eyes. As she did, Link, Fox, and Krystal all came through and found Samus.

"Where's Zelda?" Link asked with concern in his tone. Samus looked up at him; tears started streaming down her face again.

"She's in there…Link I didn't mean to push her so hard…I'm sorry…" Her voice was breaking as she explained what happened. "W-we were t-training…I h-hit her…she d-didn't get up…" Link's expression changed from concerned to sadness.

"Is…Is she…" He began but Samus cut him off.

"S-she's not dead…she was s-still b-breathing." Samus looked down as tears fell from her face and hit the floor. "I'm a terrible f-friend." Krystal sat down next to her.

"No you're not. You brought her here. I'm sure she'll be alright. You're a good friend. You really care for her. She's lucky to have a friend like you." Samus looked up at Krystal; who was smiling in hopes to cheer her up.

"She's right." Fox agreed. "You brought her here. Friends watch out for each other and you have her back. She's lucky to have a friend like you." Fox also smiled. Samus did feel a little better. Krystal thought that might be best if she were to change the topic from Zelda's current condition to her training sessions with Samus.

"So you and Zelda have been training together for a few days." Krystal said and Samus nodded.

"Yeah, she's getting better. I mean her form has come a long way. She's just an amazing person, and a great fighter." Krystal smiled.

"It sound like Zelda is lucky to have a friend like you." Krystal smiled and Samus looked down.

"Yeah…" She weakly responded. It was at that moment that Samus noticed Krystal's eyes were narrowed and staring at her.

"What?" She asked Krystal who blinked and snapped out of the trance he was currently in.

"Oh…nothing never mind." She quickly said. Fox knew there was something on her mind, but thought it would be better not to say anything. A few hours passed and finally, the doctor came out and everyone was still. He looked at the group, and then looked at Samus. He walked over to her and sat down next to her.

"May I ask what you two were doing when she collapsed?" The doctor asked Samus who had tears on her face which she quickly wiped away and cleared her throat.

"We were training. I've been working with her for the past three days and training has been kind of rough. She wants to be a better fighter and she came to me for help." The doctor nodded his head.

"I see." The doctor responded. His expression didn't change. Samus decided to ask the question that was on everyone's mind.

"Is she…going to be alright?" Samus asked the doctor, who smiled and nodded. Caused Samus to smile and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Zelda has suffered from exhaustion. My guess would be she has pushed herself too hard in the last few days which could be explained if she were training like the champion." Samus immediately felt bad for pushing her too hard but the doctor continued. "I would say lay off the training for a few days to let her body rest. Go on a walk, take things easy for a few days and let her body relax. No extreme workouts and she'll be back to normal, ok?" Samus nodded in agreement.

"Ok. No extreme workouts." She repeated to the doctor. The doctor smiled, stood up, and then went back through the doors. Zelda slowly came out shortly after that. Everyone stood up as Zelda weakly smiled and waved to them all. Samus walked up to her and looked at her.

"I'm sorry for pushing you so hard. I really didn't mean to make you work so hard." Samus began explaining but Zelda shook her head.

"N-No. I should be apologizing to you. I set a goal for myself that I would be as good as you. Perhaps I set the bar too high and wanted results as quickly as possible. Now it feels like I'll never get there." Zelda was disappointed in herself but Samus tiled her head up so she would look at herself.

"You'll get there. But we need to take it easier. No more all day workouts. We'll train again in a few days but for now…Do you just want to hang with Link? I'm sure it would be best if you two spent the day together without me." Samus smiled and started walking away. Zelda turned her head to watch Samus leave.

"NO!" She yelled. Everyone was now looking at her. "I…I mean I can spend a few minutes with him but I…I would like to talk with you…i-if you want I mean. You don't need to…it's just…whatever…I guess." Zelda continued to ramble on as Samus smiled.

"S-So you don't…hate me?" Samus asked worried. Zelda smiled and shook her head.

"No. You're my friend. You can't be my best friend because Link is my best friend. Maybe you could be my girlfriend?" She asked curiously. Everyone just stared at her. Nobody was completely sure if she knew what she had asked. Since no one said anything, Krystal decided to ask the question everyone was thinking.

"You…want her…to be your…girl….friend?" She asked very slowly in an attempt to repeat what Zelda had just asked. Zelda look at Krystal then immediately grew wide eyed.

"N-No. That's not w-what I meant. I-I meant…" Zelda became quiet and her face was blushing bright red. "E-Excuse me." She quickly left; trying to hide her face from everyone.

"Zelda, wait!" Link called out but Zelda was already out the door. Samus was starting at the exit where Zelda had left. She didn't know what to think of Zelda's question and how to respond.

'_Her…girl…friend.'_ She thought. She knew what she really meant but the idea was something that intrigued her. She closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip._ 'If only she knew…'_ she thought to herself as she walked away.

"Damn it…I'll find her." Link sighed and took off after her. Krystal and Fox were standing there alone.

"We should find Samus." Fox suggested to Krystal who was lost in thought. "Krystal?" He asked again and nudged her. She looked at him.

"Hm? Did you say something?" She asked him who looked confused.

"You alright? You don't normally space off like that." Fox asked looking rather concerned.

"It's…nothing. I'm just…never mind." She responded. "Shall we go find Samus?" She asked walking towards the exit.

"Uh…sure." He said as he followed her.

Link was looking for Zelda and he finally found her outside sitting on a bench quietly crying.

"You alright Zelda?" He asked her as she looked up; tears streaming down her face.

"W-why must I be s-so foolish?" Zelda asked without facing Link. He sat down next to her.

"What do you mean? You're not foolish." He tried cheering her up but it didn't work. She still refused to face him however; she cleared her throat and wiped away her tears.

"You don't understand. I like Samus as a friend; she's really nice to me. I want to be friends and I…it came out completely wrong…I embarrassed myself again." She looked down and covered her eyes with her hands. Link didn't like seeing upset and was trying to figure out a way for her to feel better. It was at that moment that he had an idea.

"Samus was crying when you were in the hospital, you know." He mentioned to his sobbing friend. She uncovered her eyes and looked at him with surprise.

"S-She was?" Zelda's voice cracked as she spoke. Tears were still running down her face as she spoke to Link. He nodded.

"Yeah. When Fox, Krystal, and I got there, Samus was crying. She said she was an awful friend. She really cares for you." Link said while he was trying to life her spirits.

"W-Why would she th-think that? She's an a-amazing f-friend." Zelda couldn't quite understand why Samus would be in tears for her. Link turned Zelda's head so they were looking into each other's eyes.

"She cares for you. She wants to be your friend. Just ask her if she wants to be your friend." Zelda smiled, sniffled, and wiped away the tears on the side of her face.

'_If only she knew…'_ She thought to herself. Link tried to get Zelda's attention again.

"Just talk to her. I'm sure you two will be best friends." Link smiled; which caused Zelda to smile too.

"Just…talk." She repeated. _'Should I ask her…no, don't.'_ She thought to herself. She liked Samus a little more than friends but she wasn't sure if Samus felt the same way. It would be best if they were just friends. While Zelda was away in thought, Link wondered what she was still doing here.

"So…are you just going to sit here and daydream all day?" Link asked. Zelda quickly snapped out of thought.

"Huh? Oh right. Excuse me." She got up and left but before she turned away completely, she turned back and hugged Link.

"Thanks Link. You know just how to cheer me up." Zelda spoke with cheer which caused Link to smile.

"It's what friends do." He responded. Zelda broke the hug and left Link there on the bench. As Zelda walked away she had more thoughts creep into her mind about Samus.

'_She was crying over me? That doesn't make sense unless…'_ She gasped as she made an assumption about Samus.

'…_does she like me? As in…__more__ than a friend?'_ Zelda thought to herself. She was so nervous to speak to Samus now that she didn't know what to say. She was lost in thought that she didn't see Fox and Krystal walking by her.

"Hey Zelda." Krystal waved to her friend, but she didn't wave or even acknowledge her. Krystal looked at Fox who shrugged his shoulders. She nudged him in the stomach and wanted him to make sure she was alright. Fox sighed and turned to Zelda and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Zelda? You ok?" He asked her. Zelda was so lost in thought that when she felt someone grab her shoulder she screamed as loud as she could; causing both foxes to jump. Zelda turned around and saw who was there.

"Oh…Fox…and Krystal…I'm so sorry. You just startled me." She rubbed the back of her neck and looked away. "Um…b-by any chance, d-do you know w-where Samus is?" She asked them. Krystal pointed over towards the garden behind her.

"Samus is in there. She wanted to take a walk and look at the flowers. Are you planning on seeing her?" Krystal asked. Zelda gulped hard and nodded.

"Y-Yes. There is something I must ask her. I-It is very important." Zelda nervously responded which caused Krystal's curiosity to wonder even more.

"What do you think of Samus?" Krystal asked; her eyes narrowed as she looked straight at Zelda; causing her to look away from Krystal.

"S-She's nice…and very strong. She's a g-good teacher and an ever b-better fighter. I'm h-happy that she w-wants to help me get stronger and if only I could tell her…" She became quiet in that very moment. Krystal was trying to figure out what Zelda was going to say.

"If only you could tell her…" She was trying to encourage Zelda to finish her thought, but Zelda quickly shook her head.

"Um…nothing. Thank you." She said as she quickly walked towards the garden. Fox and Krystal were once again alone. Fox looked over at Krystal who was once again off in thought.

"Ok, what's on your mind?" Fox asked Krystal who was still watching Zelda walk away.

"It's rather unusual…" Krystal murmured. Which Fox overheard.

"What's unusual?" He asked her; she still didn't look at him.

"I can sense brain patterns, sense auras." She explained. Fox just smiled.

"I know. That's why you're a valuable member of the Star Fox Team." Fox complimented her but she still didn't look at him.

"When we talked to Samus, I sensed something. Her brain patterns were…different…that she cared for Zelda a lot." She ran a hand through her hair.

"Well…maybe she wants to be Zelda's best friend. She seems to really care for her." Fox suggested and Krystal finally turned to face him.

"That's what I thought until we talked to Zelda. The strange thing was, she had the exact same patterns." Fox grew wide eyed.

"The exact same? Are you sure?" He asked Krystal who nodded.

"Yes. I believe they both want the same thing." Krystal said to Fox with concern in her tone.

"Friendship?" Fox asked. Krystal shook her head.

"Love. The only question I have now is which girl has the courage to speak what their heart desires?" She closed her eyes; Fox grabbed her hand and tilted her head up.

"Only time will tell." Fox and Krystal smiled as the two of them walked back to their room.


	4. Heartbreak

**Chapter 4: Heartbreak**

**AN: Sorry I haven't uploaded a chapter in like a week or two. College is tough and seeing as I only have 5 weeks left, it's getting much harder to write on here. But I will NOT give up! I will continue writing but I don't think I'll be able to upload another chapter until my summer vacation starts. :( Sorry. Anyway, please R&R and let me know what you liked and where I need improvement. Thanks and enjoy!**

*****Disclaimer*****

**I do not own any of the characters in the story, so please don't sue me.**

Zelda went looking for Samus in the garden. It was unlike any other garden though; it was huge. There were flowers of all kinds in front of her and of all colors. It was rather beautiful and very soothing to Zelda. However, she was on an important mission: She was looking for someone. She was searching for Samus and as she was, she noticed that she was looking at all the flowers. She felt at peace while looking at all the colors. It was calming and relaxing for her to look at all the different flowers. She finally reached the red roses where she noticed Samus was sitting on a bench looking at them.

'_Now's my chance.'_ Zelda thought to herself as she walked towards Samus. She was hoping that she would be filled with confidence but as she approached her, she felt that confidence dissipate.

"S-Samus." She called in a whisper, which Samus didn't hear. She tried calling louder. "Samus." Again, her voice was not loud enough. She cleared her throat, which got the attention of Samus.

"Oh hey Zelda." Samus weakly smiled. "Look, I want to apologize again for pushing you too hard." Zelda shook her head.

"No you did-" Zelda began but Samus held up her hand.

Don't tell me I didn't. I know I did…I…I've never been a teacher. I've never had anyone close. So it's kind of weird for me that someone else looks up to me. I don't see myself as a role model." Samus was holding back tears; trying not to cry in front of Zelda.

"I think you're amazing. I…get so nervous when I talk to you that I…act very foolish. I usually don't embarrass myself when speaking but…" Zelda looked away from Samus. She was too afraid to tell Samus how she really felt.

"How about we get to know each other as friends?" Samus took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes before motioning for Zelda to come sit on the bench next to her. Zelda smiled and sat on the bench next to Samus. There was an awkward pause between the two girls. Neither one knew what to say to the other. Finally, Samus broke the silence.

"So…What's it like being a princess? I've always thought it would be pretty easy since you have other people do everything for you." Samus nervously said as she rubbed the back of her neck. Zelda shook her head.

"Oh no, it's not that easy. My day starts with taking classes that teach me how to speak properly. Then I usually get a break for lunch and I try to go down to the village and speak to the people. Unfortunately, no one will allow me to join them in their recreational fun because I am…well…you know…a princess." Zelda was explaining to Samus, who was listening intently.

"Then I go back to the castle and learn about the history, math, science, until dinner. Then the rest of the evening is my free time. Which I usually spend looking at flowers, or singing to myself, or something. I start the whole thing over the next day. It's very exhausting." She deeply sighed and closed her eyes. Samus's eyes grew big. She had no idea that being a princess was so much work.

"You…handle it well. I don't think I've ever seen you stressed." Samus calmly responded. Her tone sounded like she was impressed.

"Thank you." Zelda responded quietly. She had to think of something to ask of Samus. One thing Zelda always loved was traveling to new worlds; she then had an idea.

"Being a bounty hunter must be exciting. You get to travel all around, meeting new people. Your life must be exciting." Zelda was excited to hear about the joys of being a bounty hunter. Samus just shook her head.

"Yeah…desolate wastelands, getting shot at, nearly dying. Let me tell ya, it's a fucking blast." Samus sarcastically remarked as she looked at Zelda whose expression went from joy to disappointment. Samus sighed.

"I don't take the easy jobs. I take the jobs that no one else will. That's why I can charge people so much. It's a live or die situation and I always live." She smiled at Zelda.

"I see." Zelda weakly smiled at Samus. "Y-Your boyfriend must be…h-happy for you….that you're s-still alive." Zelda looked away, hoping Samus wouldn't notice where she was going with this. Samus looked back at the flowers.

"I'm not with anyone…I…being a bounty hunter has a lot of disadvantages. I don't have time for anyone. It's kind of sad, really." She looked rather depressed now. Zelda was surprised to hear that Samus was single.

"So there must be so prince you have your eye on in Hyrule. A princess must marry a prince…that's how it usually goes right?" Samus asked not looking away from the roses.

"M-Me? Oh no. I-I'm not with anyone…b-but there is s-someone I'm interested in." She tried to sound hopeful but then noticed a tear running down Samus's cheek.

'_Why is she crying?'_ Zelda thought to herself. Then she realized the blunder in her words.

"I-I meant that I-" Samus stood up and wiped the tear from her cheek.

"It's ok. I'm…gonna take a walk outside to clear my head. I have a match later today. I probably should've told you but I…just forgot. I'm gonna take a walk then go to my fight. Maybe we can catch up afterwards?" Samus asked Zelda, who bit her bottom lip and nodded. Samus weakly smiled.

"Great. I'll…see you later." Samus responded as she sniffled and walked away. Once again, Zelda hung her head while tears streamed down her face.

"Damn it. Damn it. Damn it." She repeated to herself. This time, she didn't laugh or giggle at cursing. She was too upset that she blew her chance again. She quietly cried for a few minutes until she heard someone speak to her.

"Are you alright?" A voice asked her. She looked up at the girl. She was wearing a blue dress, blonde hair, and blue eyes, and a silver crown upon her head. Zelda had never met this girl before but she seemed very concerned about her well-being.

"I-I fine thank you." She rubbed her eyes wiped away the tears. "W-Who are you?" The girl smiled and sat down next her.

"My name is Rosalina. You…you're Princess Zelda correct?" She asked Zelda; the girl was still smiling. Zelda just nodded.

"Why are you crying? Has someone hurt you?" The girl asked her. Zelda didn't want to be the kind of girl who needed others to take care of her, so she wiped away the tears and stood up.

"I-I'm fine. Thank you for asking b-but I should r-really be on my way…" She said as her voice trembled. Rosalina was really concerned for her though.

"I won't leave your side until I am certain you will be fine." She said with determination in her voice. Zelda knew she wasn't going to win this argument as she hung her head and sat back down.

"I…I have a question for you." Zelda asked Rosalina. She was frightened of the answer but she couldn't hold it in anymore. Rosalina tilted her head slightly.

"Yes?" She asked. Zelda was too nervous to look Rosalina in the eyes, so she looked at her hands which were interlocked with one another; her two pointing fingers tapping against each other.

"I-Is it…w-wrong…t-to like a-another girl?" Zelda's voice quivered. She had never talked about this to anyone, so did she feel like opening up to someone she had just met a few seconds ago? She wasn't sure but she had to ask somebody. Rosalina shrugged her shoulders.

"Well…I don't see anything wrong with that. Is it just friendship or…is there something more?" She asked Zelda, who remained quiet for a few seconds.

"I...don't know." She didn't take her eyes off her hands. Out of fear that Rosalina would laugh if she said she loved another girl.

"What does this girl look like?" Rosalina asked her next question. A smile quickly grew across Zelda's face.

"She's blonde. And very pretty…Tall and strong. She has blue eyes, and a very beautiful blue outfit. She's bold, and doesn't let anything stand in her way…" As Zelda continued to describe what her crush was about, Rosalina picked up on a few details that Zelda was describing.

"Um…Zelda? I…You're not…talking about me are you? I just want to make sure it's not me." She laughed nervously and was blushing light red. Zelda stopped talking and looked at her; now noticing that Rosalina fit Zelda's physical description.

"Oh i-it's not you. She's a bounty hunter." She immediately covered her mouth as her face turned deep red.

"A bounty…" Rosalina whispered and then the answer hit her. "…Samus?" She noticed Zelda's face was bright red and she made her own conclusions to how Zelda felt about her. "You're in love with Samus?" Zelda looked up, dropped her hand and pleaded with her new friend.

"Please don't tell anyone." She moved to her knees and begged her new friend. Rosalina just smiled.

"Of course not, but why not tell _her_ that?" Rosalina asked. Zelda stood up, placed her hands behind her, and looked at her shoes.

"I-I tired, but…every time I try talking to her…I freeze up. She's just so amazing and I'm…not." Rosalina stood up and hugged her.

"Oh no Zelda. You ARE amazing. You just need to believe in yourself. I'll help you…if you want." She suggested. Zelda's eyes lit up and she smiled.

"Y-You will?" She asked with excitement in her voice.

"Of course. You were willing to share your secret with me, so I should probably thank you for trusting me. I promise I'll be in your corner…should you ever need me." Rosalina smiled and so did Zelda.

"Thank you…Rosalina." She whispered.

While Zelda had met a new friend to help her through the dark troubles she was fighting, Samus walked outside, trying to ignore the pain she was currently feeling. Tears streaming down her face as she tried to hold in her emotions. Once she got outside, she pacing around sniffling and wiping away tears.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!" She cursed to herself quietly. She couldn't believe she had fooled herself and actually thought that she had a chance with Zelda. She breathed in, and deeply sighed.

"Oh…fuck me." She wiped a few tears away from her eyes. As she did, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"If you did more of that, you wouldn't be my ex-girlfriend." She turned to see a man wearing camouflage and smoking a cigarette. She crossed her arms and looked the other away.

"Now's not the time, Snake. And I thought we agreed never to talk about that again." She wiped the few remaining tears off her cheek. He smirked and looked at her.

"It was a joke. I was trying to make you laugh. Clearly something happened between you and Zelda." He remarked as he exhaled the smoke from his cigarette. She turned to face him.

"W-What makes you think…" She began but he quickly cut her off.

"I know you better than most people. I know when you're interested in someone else. So what happened?" He asked her. She placed her hands on her hips and shook her head.

"It doesn't matter. She…likes someone else. That's what she told me." She looked like she was going to cry again. Snake took a seat on the bench.

"Did she sound certain?" He asked Samus who looked at him with a confused expression.

"Huh?" She asked not sure what he meant.

"Did it sound like she was talking about a real person?" He asked her calmly but her expression turned to anger rather quickly.

"What the fuck are you saying? She said she loved another person!" She yelled at him.

"Has it occurred to you that she might be just as scared as you are to talk about this?" He calmly responded and took another deep breath from his cigarette. "Where…exactly is Zelda?" He asked her. Samus looked away in shame.

"I…left her in the garden." She mumbled and Snake looked at her again.

"I'm sorry?" He asked her. Her fists clenched as she quietly scowled.

"I…left her in the garden." She spoke up louder. He sighed.

"And after she told you that she loved…someone else…" He asked using air quotes on 'someone else'.

"…why did you choose to come out here?" He asked her. Again she looked down in shame.

"I told her…I had…a match today." She said; placing one hand on her head. Snake shook her head.

"You shouldn't lie to her, Samus. It will cause doubt to fill her mind." He remarked to her. She didn't look up because she knew he was right.

"But, I wouldn't be much of a friend if I didn't bail you out…" He sighed, tossing his cigarette on the ground before placing his foot over it and rubbing it on the ground. Samus looked over at him.

"_You_ want to help _me_?" She scoffed at his request. He stood up.

"You've got ten minutes. Room four. Peach, Donkey Kong, and the Ice Climbers. You're good at lying so make one up." He said in a tone that almost insulted her. Samus glared at him but it didn't have any affect. "Just remember that Zelda isn't as strong as you. She's delicate…like a flower. She needs someone to depend on and you can't expect her to hang around until you feel comfortable to ask her out. And be careful. I'm sure the young princess frightens easily, so don't do anything stupid." She nodded at him as if to say she understood what he said. She turned to go back inside.

"One more thing." He mentioned before she left. She turned to face him one last time.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Three little words. You have no idea how much it'll mean to her if you say them to her." He suggested to her before he turned his back and began walking away.

"Snake!" She called out. He stopped. He didn't turn around to face her, but she knew he was listening.

"…Thanks." She called out. He didn't do anything to acknowledge he was listening but she knew he was.

"Good luck with the match…and with Zelda." He walked away. Samus knew that if she needed him to help her out, that Snake would be there if she needed him. He was someone who didn't really speak to anyone but because they respected one another, he would help her if she asked him to.

She walked towards the main hall and reached room four. As she went inside, the three other competitors looked at her.

"Um…where's Snake?" Peach asked. Confused that Samus walked in instead of Snake.

"He said he had other things to do and asked me to fill in for him. Is that a problem?" She asked with a slightly aggressive tone. They all looked at each other and shook their heads.

"No, it's no problem at all. We were just setting the rules." Peach explained. "We had decided that we all wanted to fight with one life…the only question now is what stage?" Peach tilted her head to the side and was in serious thought. Donkey Kong was beating his chest. He didn't really care where they went, as long as he could fight. The Ice Climbers were huddled together. Samus could make out a few words and concluded that they were making a strategy on how they would fight.

"How about green hill zone? That way, no one has home field advantage." Samus suggested. Peach smiled at her.

"Great idea! Ok, everything is set. Let's go!" Peach exclaimed as Samus sighed.

'_She is way too excited for this.'_ Samus thought as she was waiting for the stage to load. After a few minutes, the stage loaded and all the competitors stepped on their platforms.

"THREE…TWO…ONE…..GO!" The voice yelled out. Immediately Donkey Kong charged at Samus. She quickly dodged and knocked the ape back a bit. Peach was dealing with the Ice Climbers so Samus decided that her best chance at winning was to take out DK first, then take the princess second, and then quickly taking out the two Ice Climbers last. As she concluded her thought, she didn't notice that DK threw a bomb-omb at her. Knocking her to the ground. She quickly got up, and charged the attack on him again. Landing a few blows and knocking him back again. She went to charge him and was about to hit him again, when she suddenly stopped. The only thing she could see was the face of Zelda flash before her and the words from Snake echoed in her head.

'_Three little words. You have no idea how much it'll mean to her if you say them to her.'_ Samus shook her head; trying to stop this from affecting her performance, but it was clear that something was bothering her. DK didn't notice there was something wrong and wound up his arm; preparing to land a giant punch on the reigning champion. Samus turned to face Peach and decided that she needed to change her strategy but once again, Zelda's face flashed before her and the quote once again ran through her mind.

'_Three little words. You have no idea how much it'll mean to her if you say them to her.'_ Samus shook her head again and this time placed both hands on top of her head.

"Get out of my fucking head." She quietly whispered to herself. She opened her eyes and was greeted with a heavy hit from DK. She went flying but recovered quickly. She noticed Peach standing in front of her and she quickly grabbed her. However, the image of Zelda flashed in her head yet again and she quickly let go of Peach.

"What are you doing? Are you feeling alright?" Peach asked Samus and then gasped. "Look out!" She pointed behind Samus who turned around and was greeted by a swing from the home run bat. While all of this was happening, apparently, the Ice Climbers were busy attacking Peach and found the item; then they it hit Samus. She was sent flying and was knocked out and sent to the waiting room.

"I'm…out?" She was still in disbelief. She looked at a smaller screen next to the main screen where it showed the stats of all the fighters. The stats for the three remaining fights were still changing but Samus were not. She took a look at how long she lasted and her jaw dropped.

"Three minutes?! Are you fucking kidding me?!" She nearly screamed. "I was in there for only three fucking minutes?!" She could not believe that her performance was extremely poor. Samus sat down, lowered her head, and placed her hands on top.

'_What's wrong with me? I'm…still a good fighter…aren't I?'_ She began doubting her abilities and as she sat there, a platform began glowing and the Ice Climbers showed up. The two of them were laughing and high fiving each other. They took a seat on a bench next to Samus. It didn't seem like they cared about the results, they only cared that they were together. As they sat next to Samus, Nana looked over and noticed how depressed Samus looked.

"Don't be sad." The little girl said to her. "You're really cool!" She stuck her thumb up to Samus, which caused her to present a little smile.

"Thanks." She said Looking back at the ground.

"If you're feeling bad that you were knocked out first, I'm really sorry. I was aiming for Peach…I didn't think I was gonna hit you." Popo said while looking at his feet kicking back and forth. Samus looked at him and shook her head.

"Don't be. It's what fighting's about. I should've been prepared and I wasn't. It was a good move from you. I would've done the same thing." She said trying to make them feel better; it made them both smile and they high fived each other and began laughing again. Suddenly, the platform was acting up again and Peach was the last one to arrive.

"Oh, darn. I'll try harder next time." She told herself as she look up, smiled, and waved at the Ice Climbers and Samus.

"THIS GAME'S WINNER IS….DONKEY KONG!" The voiced yelled and the three other competitors clapped for the victor. Donkey Kong then appeared in the room with the others and continued to howl and pound on his chest. Peach smiled and giggled, the Ice Climbers were cheering him on as well. Samus just slipped out of the room quietly.

"Hey." She heard as she left and looked up to see Zelda standing in front of her.

"Oh…hey…" She said. She really didn't want to talk about what happened or even be in this situation since all she could think about was Zelda. "Um…I should probably shower. I kind of smell so…" Samus tried to get away but Zelda wasn't going to let her leave.

"I….saw your match." Zelda remarked. "It looked like…something was bothering you…" She hinted in an attempt to get Samus to open up to her. Samus was trying to think of a lie so she didn't need to be honest with her. She came up with an idea a few moments after thinking about it.

"Just people talking shit. Spreading rumors and stuff." Samus chuckled. Zelda was trying not to look worried about this.

"W-What are they saying?" She asked Samus, who once again had to think quickly. Fortunately for her, someone else presented an answer for her.

"That your abilities may be rubbing off on her." A voice spoke over the two girls; causing them to jump and turn to see a tall man in dark clothes with a very nasty sneer across his face.

"Her abilities are just fine Gannondorf." Samus calmly responded to him. Causing him to physically laugh out loud.

"Then what did you call that performance?" He gestured towards the room she was in previously. She inhaled sharply and looked him in his crimson – colored eyes.

"Everyone has an off day." She explained to him but he wasn't buying it.

"A true champion does not have off days. Perhaps you are no longer fit to be champion." Gannondorf suggested to the blonde; who wasn't taking this very well.

"So you're suggesting that perhaps _you_ are good enough to be champion?" She sarcastically asked him as he folded his arms and nodded.

"Yes. I am a much more qualified champion than you'll ever be." He stated bluntly to her. Zelda finally found her voice.

"Shut up you…you stupid man! You're just…really…stupid!" She yelled out, hoping she sounded confident. But when he turned to her and began to walk towards her, she quickly hid behind Samus, who knew she had to get his attention so he wouldn't send Zelda to the hospital or worse.

"If you're so great then answer this for me. In last year's tournament, how is it that a big, strong, fighter like you lost to a tiny puffball like Jigglypuff?" Samus asked. Gannondorf's attention turned back to Samus. "And don't say that you had an off day because…" Samus cleared her throat and lowered her voice in an attempt to mimic Gannondorf's voice. "A true champion does not have off days." Gannondorf scowled and knelt down to get as close to eye level with her.

"Do you really think you can defeat me? You don't stand a chance pipsqueak." His voice was threatening and it scared Zelda, but Samus was not backing down an inch.

"I can defeat you anytime, anywhere. Just remember that everyone bows down to the queen sooner or later." His eyes were now burning with hatred as he stood up and walked away. She watched Gannondorf walk away and then she turned to Zelda. "You ok?" She asked with concern in her voice. Zelda nodded.

"I'm not very tough…am I?" she asked Samus who smiled and shook her head.

"No, not really but that's ok. You're still pretty cute." Samus said before her face was drained on its color. Zelda was taken aback by this.

"What did you say?" She asked Samus. Wanting to know if she heard what she thought she heard.

"I…said you're pretty amazing. I gotta go." She quickly walked away and walked into a certain blue bird with attitude.

"Watch where you're walking blondie." She yelled and continued walking away from her. She was embarrassed before but now that embarrassment has turned to anger.

"Go fuck your mother." Samus remarked. She then felt somebody shove her from behind. She turned to see Falco Lombardi standing in front of her.

"What'd you say?" He asked her while taking a fighting stance. Frustration was building in Samus. All she wanted to do was forget this day ever happened.

"Tell me, how does it feel to know that no matter how hard you work, you'll always be second to Fox. Actually, now that Krystal is part of the team you're probably third best." She smirked, which was getting to Falco.

"I wouldn't talk about who is best based on that bullshit you just put on." Falco responded. "Maybe it's because you're hanging around that weak cunt." Falco suggested to Samus, whose remark just made Samus angrier. Zelda could feel the tension building between the two of them and thought she should try to calm each person down.

"Stop it. Both of you." Zelda demanded. She walked up to Falco and gently tapped on his shoulder. "I think what Samus is trying to say-" Falco quickly turned around.

"Shut the fuck up, bitch." He backhanded Zelda across the face; knocking her down. She placed one hand just under her nose and pulled it away to see blood and she gasped. Samus noticed the blood too and lost it. She lunged at Falco and tackled him to the ground. Around this time, Fox and Krystal were walking by and they noticed Zelda on the ground, and Samus and Falco were fighting a few feet away from her.

"Get some help. I'll make sure Zelda's alright." Fox instructed to Krystal. She nodded, turned around, and sprinted to go find some help. Fox rushed to Zelda's side.

"Zelda! Are you alright? Tilt your head up. I'll get you some paper towels." She tilted her head up and he quickly ran to the restroom to grab some paper towels. Samus and Falco were landing punches on one another. Samus was on top of Falco and striking him hard in the face, Falco managed to get a shoulder up, rolled over, and punching her in the face.

"Still think I'm not as good as Fox?!" He yelled as he continued to punch her.

"Please! Stop!" Zelda pleaded with the two of them. She couldn't see what was happening but she didn't like fighting outside of the competitions.

Samus managed to get her shoulder up and rolled on top of Falco. She landed a few punches then placed both hands on Falco's neck and began squeezing as hard as she could. Falco had one hand on her hands and the other was slapping the floor; like he was tapping out for submission, but she wasn't letting up. His face was starting to turn purple as Krystal and Fox arrived at the same time. Fox gave some paper towels to Zelda and Krystal brought a few security guards.

"Samus! Please stop this!" Krystal yelled. As she tried to pull Samus off of Falco. Fox, Krystal, and three security guards tried to get her off of him, but Samus's grip wasn't letting up until she heard Zelda's voice.

"Samus…Please…don't hurt him." She begged. Samus looked over at Zelda, then immediately let go of the bird. Who was coughing and gasping for air. She then noticed there were many people around her, watching in disbelief and some were now frightened of the champion. The security guard managed to grab Samus away from Falco. Krystal rushed to Falco's aid while the guards were taking Samus away. As they were, Fox placed one hand on one of their shoulders.

"Guys…I'll take care of this." Fox said calmly. The three guys weren't too sure but they knew Fox's anger wasn't like Falco's.

"Alright. She's all yours." One of them said as they stared at her one last time before walking away. Fox turned his attention to her.

"Samus, what happened? You don't normally go off the handle like this." Fox asked. Samus shook her head and covered her eyes.

"I…it's…fuck. I don't know. Today has just been a really bad day." She explained. She didn't want to go into details but she knew that she was in trouble. Fox sighed and rubbed his temples.

"At the very least, you're going to be suspended for a few months for attacking someone outside of the rooms." Fox mentioned. "I wouldn't be surprised if they banned you from now until next year's tournament due to the injuries Falco has." Samus was ashamed of her actions and knew she was in serious trouble.

"I'm…sorry." She closed her eyes. "I'll meet with the board and see what they think is fair for my punishment." Fox was looking behind Samus.

"I…think you won't need to wait." Samus turned around to see Toadsworth, Peppy Hare, Saria, Reyson, and Tikal walking towards her. Along with that, a few competitors were following them including Link, Peach, Mario, Gannondorf, and Snake.

"Samus." Saria asked very calmly. "Did you attack Falco outside of the fighting arena?" Everyone was looking as Samus. She glanced over at Zelda who was staring at her in fear. Samus sighed and knew what she had to do.

"Make sure she doesn't fall back on her training. Please work with her." She whispered to Fox who nodded in agreement. She looked back at Saria.

"Yes. I had some…personal problems affect my performance today and my emotions got the best of me." She stated. A bunch of murmurs went through the people and even some of the competitors. She glanced over at Snake who stood there silently. He wasn't smiling nor was he sad, but she knew he wasn't happy in what she did.

"QUIET!" Toadsworth yelled. All fell silent as he stepped forward. "Samus. Your actions today have left me with no choice. I am forced to suspend you from participating in any free matches until next year's tournament. In addition, you may not use the training facility until further notice." Everyone gasped after hearing this and Peach stepped forward.

"But father, isn't that a little too-" Toadsworth looked up at his daughter.

"Princess, I cannot be lenient in these rules just because she is your friend. We have these rules for a reason and we must enforce them. We would take the same measures if it were Bowser, Link, even you." He turned back to Samus. "Do you understand?" He asked her. She looked over to where Zelda was standing to see she wasn't there anymore.

"W-Where's Zelda?" She asked everyone but no one had the answer.

"Do you understand?" Toadsworth repeated himself. Samus looked at him and nodded.

"I…I understand." She responded softly as Toadsworth adjusted his glasses.

"Good. You may stay in the hotel for as long as you wish, but your training must be done away from here." He instructed her as she turned to walk back to her room which turned into a sprint. She knew she had frightened Zelda and she was hoping that she didn't blow her chance to be honest with her. She finally got to her room and noticed that Zelda wasn't there. In fact, her stuff wasn't even there. Samus sat on the edge of her bed and began to sob.

'_Fuck…Fuck…FUCK!"_ Her mind screamed. She just blew the only opportunity to tell Zelda how she really felt and now, she wasn't even sure if Zelda would continue training or if she would ever want to see her again. _'This is going to be a long nine months.'_ She thought to herself as she got undressed and took a shower. All she could think about was how badly she wanted to tell the truth to Zelda and now she might not ever get that chance. Once she finished, she grabbed a towel and dried herself off. When she stepped out, she noticed a note on Zelda's bed. She quickly picked it up and read it.

_Samus,_

_I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared at what you did to Falco today. I have decided that maybe I should go home and find something else to do. I have talked to Fox and Krystal. They will be training me. I do not hate you; I need time to sort this entire situation out. I want to be alone for awhile. Please forgive me._

_Sincerely,_

_Princess Zelda_

She set the note down and tears started forming in her eyes. She placed one hand over her eyes and sat down on the bed, still sobbing.

'_It's over. We were never meant to be.'_ She thought to herself. _'I was a fool to think it could work out.'_ She thought to herself as she tucked herself in and was quietly sobbing to herself until she fell asleep.


	5. Alone

**Chapter 5: Alone**

**A/N: Hey people. Sorry I haven't been on in awhile. But thanks for being patient with me. I finished the semester a few days ago and the first thing I did was...well sleep. But the second thing I did was continue writing the next chapter. I'm going to try and get a few more chapters done over the summer. Thanks for being patient with me and I hope you enjoy. Once again R&R please. Let me know what you liked and what you think I need to work on. Thanks and enjoy!**

*****Disclaimer*****

**I do not own any of the characters or anything in this story so please don't sue me.**

A few days had passed since Zelda had left the hotel. She had written a note to her roommate saying that she was going home and that she needed some time to herself. Zelda was now back in Hyrule; staying inside her castle. Her room was enormous. She had a queen sized bed, a dresser that looked to be a bit bigger than average, a 72 inch plasma screen television mounted on the wall, a walk-in closet that had almost every color dress, and every outfit imaginable, a bathroom connected to her bedroom, a fairly large stereo, plus a balcony that overlooked the town below; and her room was the smallest bedroom in the entire castle. She hadn't worn any of her dresses in the past few days. All she wore was a plain white t-shirt and white shorts, and tan sandals when she needed to go outside. Despite her feeling comfortable at home, she did not want to talk about the events that had occurred. She had never seen Samus so angry before; the fire in her eyes, the aggression, it was all too much for her. Once she had finished her daily chores, she went back upstairs and sat on the edge of her bed. Despite the fact that she couldn't believe what had happened, she couldn't ignore what her heart was telling her and that made her even more depressed.

'_Why do I feel this way? Samus is aggressive and I am not. She would only like someone who is strong so…why do I feel this way?'_ Zelda thought to herself. As she was lost in thought, there was a knock at the door that snapped her out of her thoughts. Zelda stood up and walked over to the door and opened it, not saying a word.

"I-I beg your pardon, princess." The guard began. "But you have a visitor. She said it was urgent that you see her." The guard explained to her but Zelda didn't seem interested. She took a deep breath and began walking down the stairs toward the entrance. Once she got to the front of the castle, she noticed a certain blue fox was standing at the gate.

"Can we talk?" Krystal asked her. Zelda hesitantly nodded and motioned for her to come inside. The two girls walked up to Zelda's room. Krystal tried to get Zelda to talk as they were walking.

"Lovely day isn't it? I like this kind of weather, don't you?" She asked Zelda, who remained quiet. Krystal thought of trying a new topic. "Why aren't you wearing your dress?" Again, Zelda said nothing. Finally, the two girls reached Zelda's room. They walked in and Zelda made a beeline to her bed, fell on top and began crying into her pillow. Krystal shut the door and sat next to Zelda, now knowing why she hadn't said anything before.

"You've been thinking about her, haven't you?" Krystal asked Zelda, who still had her face buried into her pillow. She nodded in acknowledgement. Krystal needed to know the answer that has been plaguing her for the past few days. She took a deep breath and then asked the question.

"Zelda I know this may be a little direct but…are you in love with Samus?" She asked the young princess. Zelda rolled over onto her back, sat up and looked at Krystal before nodding. Krystal placed on hand on her shoulder. "Why didn't you say something to her?" She asked quietly. Zelda closed her eyes as more tears ran down her face.

"I…I…was afraid she didn't love me. B-But I was going to a few days ago…a-and then she…" She placed her hands over her face and quietly sobbed.

Krystal was happy that Zelda was now talking again. She knew she had to be careful with her questions and not upset her any further than she already was.

"Does anyone else know?" She asked the princess who, again, wiped away the tears from her face.

"R-Rosalina." She quietly responded and made Krystal's eyebrow rise.

"Who?" She asked Zelda, who now turned to face her.

"R-Rosalina. S-She is t-tall, blonde hair, b-blue dress, and blue eyes. S-She's a princess." Zelda tried to explain to Krystal, but it didn't look like it was working.

"I'm afraid I don't know her." Krystal responded to Zelda who just looked down in disappointment; tears, once again, rolling down her face. Krystal had to cheer her up, but wasn't sure how. She then had an idea.

"It took Fox a month to ask me out." Krystal said to Zelda who looked up at her in confusion. "I tried to give him hints that I liked him, but he didn't catch any of them until I told him I loved him. For example, a few years ago when I first met Fox and his crew, he would talk about the times when they had to go into an asteroid field and the asteroids were huge…Would you like to know what I asked him?" Krystal asked Zelda, who only nodded.

"Well…" Krystal began. "I moved closer to him. I placed my hand on his shoulder and whispered to him…What else is big? Would you like to know what his answer was?" She asked Zelda who was nervous about what Krystal was going to say. She nodded reluctantly. Krystal's smile grew and she finished her story. "He said, well there was the big battle with Andross but we'll get to that later." Zelda quietly snickered and wiped away the tears as Krystal shook her head and laughed. "You see? He had no idea what I was trying to get at. I bet Samus is the same way. All you need to do is tell her that you love her and I'm certain that it will end well for you two." Krystal reassured her. Zelda was happy that Krystal shared that story. Now that she knew, she could be a little more open with her personal life. It was like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"So…we should start training tomorrow, I guess." Krystal suggested to Zelda who was now looking around the room.

"Um…where's Fox?" She asked Krystal, who was biting her bottom lip.

"Fox is…looking for something. Yes, that foolish Fox lost something and now he's looking for it." She laughed nervously while scratching the back of her head. Zelda thought there may have been something Krystal wasn't telling her, but she wasn't going to press on the issue.

"So it looks like I'll be training you. Should we start tomorrow? You seem…very upset today." Krystal suggested to her. Part of Zelda wanted to train today, but she felt that she may not be fully prepared for whatever Krystal was planning.

"Ok. Let's train tomorrow, at noon? I have a few things I'd like to get gone before we train." Zelda said, now feeling a little calmer than she was before. Krystal smiled and nodded her head.

"Ok. Tomorrow at noon. I'll be here." It was at this time that Krystal received a call on her communicator. She answered it and a hologram of Slippy's head appeared.

"Hey Krystal. I need to talk to you about that thing." Slippy said to Krystal who was trying to restrain her anger by putting on a smile. Zelda was worried that Krystal might lash out just like Samus had done.

"Slippy, not now. We'll talk later." She said through her teeth. Slippy gave a puzzling look to her.

"But I thought you said to give you any information we had abo-" She turned off the communicator and ended the conversation.

"Oops. Must've lost the connection." She smiled and laughed nervously again. Zelda was now unsettled by that short conversation she had with Slippy.

"What was he talking about?" Zelda asked in a very curious tone. Krystal looked away from Zelda and was trying to think of something quick.

"Oh, he…um….it doesn't matter. I'll see you tomorrow at noon." She quickly left the room, leaving Zelda to wonder even more what he meant.

'_Oh well. Maybe it was a personal topic.'_ She thought to herself as she walked over to the bookshelf and searched for a movie. Hyrule Castle already had a library that Zelda visited in her free time, but the bookshelf in her room contained almost every children movie ever made. Prior to her entering the tournament, Zelda would watch movies, lots and lots of movies. She liked to sing as well, but she would only sing when she was in a really good mood. She finally chose a movie with the title 'Tangled' on it. She put it in and hit play. She secretly enjoyed watching children's movies and thought if anyone else had known this, they would ridicule her and they would think that she isn't mature. Still, since she knew she was alone, she crawled onto her bed, laid down on her stomach, and watched the movie with a big smile across her face but the smile soon disappeared from her face. It had just occurred to her that she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast this morning. She glanced at the clock and read the time as 5 in the afternoon.

'_I should get some popcorn…or at least something to eat.'_ She thought to herself as she got out of bed, slipped on her sandals, and walked downstairs to the kitchen. As she began walking, flashes and memories of Samus still ran through her mind. Tears began rolling down her face as she kept walking towards the kitchen but she ignored them. Once she arrived, the chef noticed her.

"Princess Zelda" The man exclaimed. "Are you feeling alright?" Zelda nodded and wiped away the tears quickly.

"I-I'm fine. Thank you. I was wondering if I could have some…popcorn…if it's alright with you…" She asked quietly. The man smiled.

"You are in the mood for popcorn? Of course! We shall make it at once and send someone to deliver it to your room. We'll get on it right away!" He turned and walked into the kitchen to prepare her snack. Zelda took a seat in the dining room and waited for them to finish. She appreciated everyone doing things for her; the maids, the butlers, the guards, but she wanted to do some things all by herself. How hard was it to make popcorn?

A few minutes passed and the chef walked out of the kitchen to find a butler but noticed Zelda sitting in a chair nearby. He walked over to her and knelt down.

"Are you feeling alright, princess?" He asked. "I did say I would send it up to your room didn't I?" He asked and she nodded.

"You did, but I wanted to bring it up myself." She responded quietly, which caused him to look confused.

"Yourself? But a princess shouldn't-" Zelda quickly cut him off.

"That's…what I want. So please…could you possibly put it in a bowl for me to carry?" She asked the man. Who smiled in response to her statement.

"You don't want us to work too hard, correct? You are truly a beautiful princess who carries a heart of gold. I shall make the proper accommodations for you. Please wait just a few seconds." He stood up and walked back into the kitchen for a few moments, then came out with a fairly large bowl and fresh popcorn inside of it. The smell of butter and popcorn filled the air; bringing a smile to the young princess's face.

"Here you are Princess Zelda. I do hope you enjoy it." The chef handed the bowl to her and she wrapped her arms around it.

"T-Thank you." She smiled and walked back to her room. As she did, she was excited to play her movie again, but that excitement turned to sadness as she realized how much more fun it would be if she had someone to watch it with. She had seen these movies all the time and could practically every song from them.

'_I wish that Samus were here…'_ She thought to herself. As she finally got to her room and closed the door. She walked back to her bed, sat down crossed legged and pressed play on her movie. Despite how upset she was feeling, she still enjoyed watching her movie; although, she didn't eat much popcorn.

Once the movie ended, she looked at the clock and was feeling a little tired, but she didn't want to go to bed just yet. She decided she would take a walk outside. She set the bowl down next to her bed, and went outside. She took a deep breath and inhaled the night air. She then took a walk around the castle grounds but the quiet night was soon disturbed by a bright light that blinded her for an instant.

"HALT! STOP RIGHT THERE!" One guard yelled as Zelda jumped in fright.

"Wait! It's me! Princess Zelda." She exclaimed and froze in place. The guard lowered his lamp and walked towards her.

"Princess? What are you doing out so late? Please forgive me for yelling at you. There are people who try to sneak into the castle at night. I apologize." The guard lowered his head in shame. Zelda placed one hand on his armor.

"You're doing fine. I…just can't sleep. I thought that if I walked around, maybe I could fall asleep…I think I'll just go back inside. Sorry for disturbing you." She bowed her head and quickly went back inside.

'_Maybe going out for a midnight stroll isn't a good idea now.'_ She thought to herself as she walked back into the castle. She knew she needed sleep but she couldn't sleep because her mind was too busy thinking of a certain girl. No matter what she did, she couldn't stop thinking about her. As she was planning on walking to her room, she had an idea. She changed her course to the kitchen where a different chef was waiting. Hyrule Castle had an all night staff in case anyone from the royal family wanted a midnight snack. Zelda walked up to a table and sat down. A few minutes had passed but the chef did come out and approached her.

"Trouble sleeping, Princess?" The chef asked her. Zelda nodded her head.

"There's…a lot on my mind." She explained. The chef looked concerned after hearing her response.

"Is there anything you want to share?" The chef asked her but Zelda shook her head.

"No. I…was wondering if you could get me…a glass of warm milk…please." She asked with an innocent tone. The chef sighed and smiled.

"If you want to sleep, how about I give you some chamomile tea? It will calm your nerves and put you to sleep very quickly." The man suggested. A warm smile spread across Zelda's face.

"Oh, that sounds wonderful. Could you please make some for me?" She asked the chef who nodded and left to walk into the kitchen. Zelda just sat there, thinking about what took place a few days ago. Samus's expression. Falco's face. She covered her face as if to hide from these problems. She was scared and all she wanted to do was sleep and dream about anything other than this. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let out a long sigh.

'_I must focus on training. I must be strong. I must…get some…sleep.'_ She yawned and covered her mouth. She was now getting tired and very sleepy. She heard someone chuckling.

"Getting sleepy, are we?" The chef asked the now tired princess. "Would you like to go upstairs? I can have someone bring this to your bedroom." The chef asked Zelda, who looked like she was going to fall over.

"No thank you. I can do it myself. By any chance, would you happen to have any sugar or lemon?" She asked the chef who set her tea in front of her and smacked his forehead and groaned.

"Of course. Silly me. I'll be right back." He then left into the kitchen and returned with lemon slices, a small bowl of honey, and a cup of sugar. He set all of it down in front of her. "Here you are. I should have asked how you would like your tea. I'm very sorry." He apologized to her, but Zelda weakly smiled.

"I…No. It's alright. I wish that someday I could cook for myself. I'm pretty good at it…I think." She responded before yawning again. The chef simply laughed out loud.

"A princess doing manual labor? You certainly are very humorous Princess Zelda." The chef laughed, then looked at her, realizing she wasn't joking. "I…I'm sorry. I thought…never mind. Forgive me." He quickly walked back to the kitchen. Zelda wanted to tell him that it was alright, but she really wanted to sleep. She added two spoonfuls of sugar, squeezed a lemon slice, and added some honey; stirred it for a while, and then took a cautious sip. She closed her eyes and sighed contently.

'_Delicious.'_ She thought to herself as she stood up, carrying the small plate that held the cup and walked back to her room. She yawned again as she made her way back to her room; her eyelids were now feeling heavy but she made it back without spilling or dropping the cup. She sat on the edge of her bed and continued sipping her tea. As she drank her tea, she couldn't help but think of what was to come.

'_Will I become a better fighter now that Krystal's training me? What if I fail? Will she be upset? Will she hate me? What if she doesn't want to be my friend if I don't do well?'_ She thought to herself as she finished the tea. She set the cup next to the bowl of popcorn from earlier and crawled under the sheets.

'_That's silly. Krystal is my friend. She wouldn't hate me.'_ She reassured herself as her eyelids finally closed and allowed her body to rest and let her mind drift off into her own dreams.


End file.
